Strong on the mat

All the three Seymour wrestlers had to do at Saturday’s Jeffersonville Regional to advance to semistate was win their first-round match.

Junior Matthew Ruddick had lost to Floyd Central’s George Emily three times in the regular season, so the 145-pounder had a tall task in the first round. Ruddick, however, prevailed by winning a major decision 12-3.

He then pinned New Albany’s Benjamin Castleberry in 3:44 to move on to the finals, where he was edged by Columbus East’s Mike Wayant 6-4.

Senior Adam Wolka took care of Floyd Central’s Franklin Korte in 40 seconds in a 285-pound first-round bout, but he suffered a 4-1 loss to Jeffersonville’s Gavan Jolley-Little in the second round. He finished the day by pinning New Albany’s James Searcy in 3:25 for third place.

Senior Tyler Loud, however, came up short in the first round at 220. He pulled within 7-4 in the final minute of the third period before Eastern’s Brian Arnold scored the final four points. Loud then picked up a pair of pins to finish fifth, and he will serve as an alternate at Saturday’s Evansville Reitz Semistate at Ford Center in Evansville.

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